Woman abandoned for not bearing a son

A 34-YEAR-OLD housewife who has four daughters with her husband of 15 years has narrated in the Lusaka Boma Court how her failure to have a male child has broken her marriage.
Royda Nachalwe of Lusaka’s Kaunda Square said that her husband Peter Ng’ambi, 34, has deserted her and their children because she has not been able to give him a male child.
This was in a case in which Nachalwe sued Ng’ambi for divorce. The two got married in 2000 in Eastern Province and have four daughters together.
The case was before Principal Presiding Magistrate Mable Mwaba, senior court magistrates Dennis Mpundu and Miyanda Banda.
“We got married in the village but Ng’ambi later relocated here for greener pastures. He left me with our first child. After two years, we followed him. I fell pregnant with our second child but he denied responsibility and forced me to abort but I refused and gave birth,” she said.
Nachalwe said when she fell pregnant for the third time in 2007, Ng’ambi was not happy and insisted that she aborts. She said Ng’ambi took her to see a doctor so that she could terminate the pregnancy.
“I had an abortion but after that he deserted our matrimonial home and stopped supporting us. I started vending so I could provide for my two daughters. However, I had two more daughters between 2010 and 2014 even though Ng’ambi insisted I abort,” she said.
“He complained that daughters are a waste of money and that his family wants nothing to do with me because I have failed to give them a son,” she said.
But Ng’ambi told the court that he has never stopped supporting his children. He said the major problem in their marriage was as a result of his mother-in-law’s interference.
Passing judgment, the court granted divorce and ordered Ng’ambi to pay Nachalwe K5,000 as compensation with an initial payment of K500 to be followed by K200 monthly instalments.
Ng’ambi was also ordered to pay K400 monthly as child maintenance.